San Francisco
by SixThings
Summary: Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Lizzie has a 'non-touristy' day with Darcy and Gigi.
1. Prologue

Late Wednesday afternoon, Lizzie stopped by Gigi's desk. "Are you sure you want me to come on Saturday?" she posed as Gigi looked up from her computer. "I don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing, we are doing this for you!" She gushed. "We want to show you the City, _our_ version of the city, absolutely no tourist sites whatsoever. You _have_ to come, I know William has some great plans, and I will make sure they are not too boring by livening them up."

"And do you promise there are no ulterior motives on your part?" Lizzie narrowed her eyes, looking at Gigi as she twirled in her chair. "Do you promise not to ditch Darcy and me? I am coming to spend time with both of you and to get a chance to see the City. I don't want to worry about any cards up your sleeves."

"I promise I will stay with you the whole day," nods Gigi.

Friday at lunch with Fitz, they talked of everything but the outing the following day. Lizzie finally broaches the subject as they are sipping their post-meal coffee.

"So, are you coming along tomorrow, on the big SF tour?"

"Nope, wasn't invited," quips Fitz with a big grin on his face. Lizzie lets the silence linger hoping to pull some more information out of him, but Fitz apparently is not feeling communicative, or has nothing else to say.

"Why weren't you invited?" Sipping her coffee lets her ostensibly look down at her cup, but in reality she glances at Fitz to see if there is any sign of that smirky smile that indicates that a games afoot.

Fitz actually frowns. He is obviously thinking about something, maybe some talk he and Darcy have had in the past week or two, probably about Lizzie and Darcy.

"Perhaps I am not the best wingman," he grins again, his eyes lighting up with laughter, "but this time Lizzie B., Darcy is actually in charge of his own game. And the invitation was for a sort of family party to show Lizzie B. the sights. If I came along, I think Gigi and I would just mess things up." He grinned widely at this, then chuckled, and Lizzie started laughing too. They had to put their coffee cups back down on the table as they set each other off.


	2. The Morning

Apparently Darcy had a full day planned, as they were to start almost as early in the day as on a work day. Darcy had been insistent about the time, though he would not state specifically where they were going when he came to confirm, once again—as though he could not actually believe the day would occur—that Lizzie was going to spend the day with Gigi and Darcy.

They arrived at her house, well her house-sitting house, promptly at 9 a.m. as planned. Lizzie thought she might invite them in, but Darcy, as he had stated, had a full day planned. He asked if she had appropriate layers, since San Francisco weather was so unpredictable, and then lead her to the car.

"Absolutely no touristy attractions! We won't go near Pier 39, nor are we driving down Lombard Street," smiled Gigi who had moved from the front seat to the back seat. Lizzie had tried to insist she could very well sit in the back seat, but both Darcy and Gigi had said "guest," so she nodded and sank down in the front seat. She glanced over at Darcy. He was smiling.

"We aren't going to avoid any sights, and we will at least point out anything as we drive by," Darcy mentioned as he kept his eyes on the road, turning a corner to swing into traffic.

"Where are going first?" asked Lizzie as she wondered what this "real" San Francisco tour would entail.

"Will wouldn't tell me no matter how hard I pestered him, which is pretty hard," Gigi said from the back seat. Darcy smiled and offered up nothing.

"You said the hills are unforgiving once," Lizzie quipped, and Darcy smiled, "are we going to be hiking around visiting historical sites on foot? I at least wore my best walking boots." Lizzie offered, trying to entice Darcy to answer.

"Do you like baseball?"

"What?" Lizzie was startled by his question.

"Do you like baseball? I drove a little out of our way, but there is AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants play."

"I am not really a sports fan, I guess." Lizzie suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She thought it odd for him to bring up baseball.

"Gigi is a big Giants fan. Though I think just because both their names start with G," he suddenly turned to glance back at his sister who grinned back. There was a certain tension in the air.

"I _love_ going to games, what's wrong with that William? Hanging out with friends? Having a little down-time from school. Besides, baseball is just a little more, well, elegant than other sports."

Lizzie had this image of the Darcys at a baseball stadium, in a private box, of course. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she suddenly started to wonder if coming along today had been such a great idea. The Darcys had money, and access that money and privilege brought with it, which she did not. And they did not always seem to realize the burden that might put on one side of a friendship. She thought about Gigi's comment earlier in the week about skiing.

"You're not a real fan Gigi; you're just a fan of trying out crazy combinations of toppings on a polish dog and trying to sneak sips of beer when the guards aren't looking. You don't actually follow the game. Name a Giants player." Darcy pulled into a turn lane as they continued on their trip.

"Um, Matt Smith?"

Darcy laughed. "I think you are getting TV and baseball mixed up and _Matt Williams_ stopped playing baseball about ten years ago."

"Well, home-town boy, you besmirch the name of SF by _following another team!_" She ended her statement with a conspiratorial hiss that was directed at Lizzie. Lizzie began to suspect that arguments about baseball were a regular topic.

"What is your team?" asked Lizzie, turning and trying to catch Darcy's eye. He suddenly found the road too interesting to turn towards her, even if for a second.

"The Boston Red Sox, even a different _League_!" Again, Gigi hissed with emphasis.

"At least I know how the game is played!" He chuckled.

"Well I still love going to games. I love buying tickets in the cheap seats and hanging out with the rowdy crowd and having a good time. It is a great get-away. Something, you big brother, cannot, perhaps, appreciate." And Gigi settled back into her seat.

Lizzie thought about the rapport between the siblings and realized that was something that no amount of money could buy. Gigi had mentioned that she bought the cheap tickets; so images of the rich girl in the prime box entertaining friends gave way to an image of a girl laughing and fooling around while sitting on a fold-down plastic seat, watching a game, but mostly having fun with friends.

Perhaps her earlier thought about money and privilege had been too quick. Sometimes it isn't that others judge you so harshly, but that you are so quick to judge yourself harshly. That she had judged herself not worthy to spend time with these two and perhaps that wasn't being fair to herself.

They drove past signs for the Golden Gate Park, and Lizzie wondered aloud again where they were going, but Darcy didn't answer. Gigi let out a squeak as if she had guessed where they were headed.

Darcy knew exactly where he was going, so never asked either of the women to look out for parking lots, let alone open parking spaces. Given what Lizzie had heard about the dearth of parking spaces in San Francisco, she was beginning to see Darcy in a bolder light.

They ended up in an underground parking garage and Gigi started bouncing in her seat as she had apparently guessed where they were going.

"I haven't been here in years Will!" She called excitedly as she hopped out of the car.

"I fear you will be disappointed." He answered.

Lizzie was out her side of the car before Darcy could think about being gentlemanly and coming to open her door or even offering her his arm or something. She then blushed at even thinking something along those lines.

The garage was well lit and had signs indicating entrances to two different destinations. Gigi started walking towards the signs indicating "The Academy," but Darcy called her back.

"We're going to the De Young, Gigi, not the Academy." Gigi turned a face that seemed to register a lot of emotions at once on it. There was a disappointed little girl who wasn't getting her prize, the mischievous imp who conspired with Fitz to get Will and Lizzie together, and the young woman who frankly _hated _museums.

"We really should keep going; we don't want to be late."

"So, finally, _where_ are we going?" Lizzie broke the tension between the siblings as they walked across the parking lot and entered the elevator.

"The De Young Museum. There is a new exhibit that opens today on the Mauritshuis, paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. The highlight is Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. I guessed a little that you might appreciate the exhibit. We have tickets for 10 o'clock." He looked her full-on then, capturing her eyes to see the surprise and delight that registered in them. Lizzie had a hard time not opening her mouth in shock. Vermeer was her favorite painter. Her favorite painting of his was perhaps Girl at a Window Reading a Letter, but that Darcy could be so attuned to her that he could anticipate her enjoyment of this exhibit was stunning.

"You know, dear brother, The De Young is very touristy." Gigi snapped, feeling still a little like a disappointed kid. The elevator doors opened and Gigi stepped out. Lizzie and Darcy stood staring at each other. They finally seemed to notice that the doors were open, and Darcy jumped, in that awkward way, to catch the elevator doors from closing again, while Lizzie walked out.

"Wow," Lizzie finally said, "thank you! I think this is the perfect start to my non-touristy SF day." And she turned to Darcy again to smile and catch his eye. Lizzie had a compulsion to reach out to him, and touch him, as she had that day (and captured on video for all to see), but resisted with Gigi right next to her.

The crowds were large, since it was opening day. Darcy got their tickets at the will-call desk and they queued in line for the 10 a.m. ticket holders.

Like all exhibits, once in, you are ostensibly allowed to take your time, but the galleries are set up to encourage visitors to walk through and exit without being able to back-track, or circle back through. So Lizzie took her time in each hall. Darcy was not someone who needed to discuss each painting. This surprised Lizzie, given how much of their past history had been spent in confrontation and discourse—that he allowed her time and space to enjoy the paintings. They did remark on color or light or composition, but in general, Lizzie had time to contemplate paintings on a more emotional level than she generally was able to. Even Charlotte wanted to discuss _objects d'art_ when the two of them went museum visiting.

Once she found Girl with a Pearl Earring she had to wait to get close. Darcy hung back and could not help but contemplate the eyes portrayed in paint to the eyes that turned to look at him with a bit of frustration at the three-deep crowd of people in front of the painting. His heart flipped. He told her he thought she might need extra time, so went to find Gigi, who had disappeared.

The pack finally moved on, and Lizzie could step close and contemplate the light and dark colors before her that had inspired so many (even a Colin Firth movie!). With all the technology available today, it was still amazing to her what someone, a talented someone, could do with some paints. How realistic a picture he might paint, how lifelike that portrait truly was that gazed back at her.

Lizzie found a small bench with one corner unoccupied and sat to rest. Though there were no hills (yet), she had been walking the exhibit hall for over an hour.

It had been so perfect, the timing was so perfect. This exhibit that happened to open _today_—with these magnificent paintings to which she could never appropriately describe—despite years of English, creative writing courses and how many years of graduate school, how phenomenal a coincidence? That there had been a Vermeer, her favorite painter, how pleasing.

Lizzie had not been fortunate enough to travel to Europe yet. So many of her college friends had taken time in the summer or after undergraduate work to travel in Europe to see Paris and Florence and Amsterdam, but she had never really ventured far from home. She had worked hard in high school to get into a good college. Then she worked hard in college to get into graduate school. Lizzie had never allowed herself too much down-town. Even Gigi had admitted to down-time, despite school, and the swim team and then tennis.

It was like Darcy had been able to do this for her, bring a little bit of Europe to her, but for once she had to admit that no amount of money or connections could have conjured an art exhibit for her. Yes, he probably had been able to conjure last-minute tickets, and she contemplated about arguing over the paying back, but she had to admit to herself that she was grateful. Grateful that at some level he understood her, her interests. That it was not all about modern social media and that there were other things that piqued her interest like Dutch painters.

"Lizzie?"

She looked up to see Darcy looking uncertainly down at her.

"Are you ready to move on?" And then he held out his hand to help her up. She took it and let him help her to her feet.

"Yes, thank you. Darcy, um, William," and she hesitantly said his name while looking down at the ground, "thank you," she looked up again, "this non-touristy day has started off great."

"I'm glad you're pleased," he replied with a smile like no other that she had seen spread across his face. "Er, Gigi is getting anxious, she isn't the museum type, so is waiting at the exit. I will go keep her occupied until you finish the exhibit." And he smiled at her again and walked back to find Gigi.

Lizzie made her way through the rest of the exhibit. Perhaps a little rushed now, since Gigi seemed to be anxious about leaving.

"There is another exhibit here, a photography exhibit. I thought we might take in that," suggested Darcy as she approached him and his sister. Gigi groaned.

"No way, I thought we were done! Please can't we go to the Academy! Please big brother, can't we fit it into your schedule?" She looked pleadingly at Darcy. He looked sternly down at her. Gigi hooked her arm through Lizzie's and pulled her close. "Lizzie, you have to come to the Academy, it is so much fun, you have to meet Claude!"

"Who is Claude?" Lizzie asked looking from Gigi's pleading eyes to Darcy's irritated ones.

"Come and see…" Gigi hinted as she started pulling on Lizzie's arm.

"Really Gigi, this is Lizzie's day, not yours, you could come to the Academy any day you wish because you live here, and we have only seen one exhibit here at the De Young."

"Oh stuffy old exhibits, who cares, when you have Claude…" Gigi rolled his name off her tongue in a pseudo-French accent.

Lizzie extracted her arm and looked at Darcy. "Well, I think I want to see this Claude person."

"Hurray!"

Darcy frowned as his well-laid plans started to fall apart. Lizzie could almost see him pulling up a spreadsheet in his mind and inserting an extra line beneath the entries:

*Pick up Lizzie

*Show Lizzie AT&T Park

*De Young Museum

*California Academy of Sciences Gigi's idea

He probably had a time estimate for each activity too. Then she wondered if she was being too hard on him and looked up to see him looking back at her. He seemed to have asked her a question and she guiltily answered, "Yes," assuming he was asking if she was ready to go.

They didn't go back down to the parking lot, but crossed a garden in front of the museum that separated the two destinations.

The California Academy of Sciences housed a number of things inside and Gigi seemed to want to see everything, but Darcy put his foot down and insisted that they pick and choose just a few, since this was "unplanned." Gigi teased him to lighten up, but opted to show Lizzie the Steinhardt Aquarium.

Tanks of fish weren't exactly Lizzie's idea of fun, but Gigi seemed to think they were great, and they wound their way through exhibits, with Gigi's exclaiming about colorful fish at every turn. Darcy didn't say much and seemed to have lost his momentum for the day with this unexpected stop.

They finally ended up in front of a large tank and Lizzie saw something ghostly move out of the corner of her eye. A white shape was in the water in the corner of the tank.

"What is that over there?" A school group seemed to be plastered in front of the tank in that corner, so she couldn't see clearly.

Gigi stood on tiptoes, "Oh, that's Claude," she delightedly answered and nudged closer to the school group. The kids were squealing loudly.

"Ah, _what_, is Claude?" asked Lizzie a little nervously. Somehow her sensibilities about the world did not include pure white _whatevers_.

"Claude is an albino alligator," answered Darcy unexpectedly as he stepped a little nearer. She appreciated his proximity, both when the horde of kids scrambled noisily away, and because Claude opted to swim out of his corner. He was bigger than she had expected.

"Wow, well, I seem to be at a loss for words," she fumbled as she watched the white skinned alligator paddle in front of the three of them. Gigi was beaming from ear-to-ear. Apparently she and Claude were old friends. Lizzie was happy to not be pressed up against the glass, who knows how germy it could be given all those kids?

Gigi excited pointed out some monstrously large snapping turtles and other grotesque fish on display, all of which charmed her. Apparently visits to the Cal Academy had been a regular childhood occurrence. Lizzie was happy to have Darcy at her elbow. He seemed to sense that this was not 'her thing,' so suggested the live penguin exhibit before their lunch.

Of course, they had missed the penguin feeding, which Gigi lamented loudly, but there was still a trainer in the penguin exhibit answering questions, so they hung around listening as mostly school kids asked mostly standard questions about penguins and got mostly standard answers. Lizzie did regret that the trainer always first said "great question! to the asker before answering." Sometimes there were lame questions. Or out-right stupid questions. Or questions you should just never ask, like 'why am I spending the day with William Darcy?'

She didn't dare tackle that question, really. She had worked out that she was grateful to him. Grateful to him to not hate her when she rejected him, in front of thousands of people. Grateful to him to willingly give her an internship at Pemberley Digital so she could finish her thesis. Grateful to him for this day.

"Lunch!" said an enthusiastic voice at her elbow. Lizzie jumped. She feared she was going to leave a bad impression on the two Darcys if she kept being lost in her own thoughts and not enjoying their company.

"I have that planned, there is this great…" began Darcy, but Gigi interrupted him.

"No fancy plans, Mr. fancy pants, why don't we eat in the cafeteria here?" A sweet smile snaked across her face. Lizzie wondered if it was the eleven year old remembering her weekend visits to the Academy, or the impish side of Gigi. Lizzie decided that a cafeteria, probably full of those same germy kids, was not what she wanted.

"Ah, Gigi, if it's all the same with you, I think a cafeteria full of noisy, germy kids isn't my idea of a great lunch venue." Lizzie and Darcy turned as one to look at Gigi who wrinkled her brow, pursed her lips, but said nothing. She couldn't exactly protest when the guest turned down her lunch idea in such a fashion.

Gigi was sullen in the elevator ride down to the parking lot, but seemed to recover her spirits as she teased Darcy about lunch. "I'm sure it is some high-brow place, to show off to Lizzie." And she poked at him, a little too hard which made him lose his balance and stumble towards Lizzie. He caught his footing and glared back at her as if she were being deliberate.

"Nothing fancy. Lizzie do you like Mexican?" He asked while he unlocked the car. He opened Lizzie's door and held it for her. She sat down and pulled her feet in before looking up at him.

"Yes I do."

"Great, there is this little place I like called El Charro. Small, but clean and quiet." He emphasized the last two words for Lizzie's benefit, then shut the door.


	3. Lunch and the Afternoon

Again they drive, and again Darcy neither asks for help with looking for parking, but knows where he is going, and finds a place to park. This time it is street parking. She wonders if you can admire someone just based on his ability to find a place to park his car.

The restaurant is not polished and brassy, but small and homey and Lizzie suspects she would have walked right by the front of it without noticing. A part of her is disappointed that it is not big and showy and somehow the de rigueur lunch place for a CEO. Gigi seems surprised too, and Lizzie suspects that perhaps Fitz may be a better wingman that he admits and that the selection was his suggestion.

The place is crowded and there are no free tables. Darcy leaves his name, 'William,' with the waitress and they opt to wait out front. The day, weather-wise, is fantastic. San Francisco can be so unpredictable. Summer days can be bitterly cold, and here is a warm 65 degree day in January—so long as the weather holds.

"So, baseball," Lizzie opts to open up the conversation. Darcy smiles. "Somehow I had never thought of you as a baseball fan, William Darcy, CEO of Pemberley Digital and all."

"Every American boy grows up loving baseball. We all play outside, and like to toss a ball around," he answered. He was leaning back against the restaurant front. They were in the shade, which made it a bit cool, despite it being a 'fantastically warm' winter day.

"Hmm, William, I think Fitz said he was more of soccer dude," Gigi interrupts trying to put a hole in his argument, "and I suspect that not every boy, ever, tosses a ball around."

"Okay, so maybe all boys don't toss baseballs around, but I did." Darcy purses his lips together and glares down at his sister. "And I didn't play high school baseball, because things, well, were complicated in high school." He pauses to look at Gigi and their faces still for a moment, "but, I like baseball."

Lizzie again listened and watched as the two siblings talked about things spoken and unspoken and thought how sweet that they were so close. She and Jane, were close, had been close, but lately with Jane finding her own way, and the move to LA, Lizzie had to admit to feeling lonely. And Lydia was so lost, and on her own path to what appeared to be destruction, that Lizzie was desperately feeling the loss of her besties. At least Charlotte was still at the end of the phone when she needed some comfort.

"How about you Lizzie, do you have a favorite baseball team?" Gigi asked as she shuffled her feet. She had worn flats which did not look all that warm.

"Not really, I guess I am just not a sports fan. I just have not had time, what with school and all..," again Lizzie recalled her thoughts from earlier in the day about always working towards the next thing, and never taking time to just relax. "I guess I have missed out. Perhaps I need to get to a game someday," she offered looking at Gigi, but quickly glancing at Darcy. He continued his casual holding up of the building.

"Hey, if you are ever in town once the season starts, we can crash the stadium and go wild, it would be great!" Gigi gushed. She shivered again as she danced on her feet.

"I still have to finish up my degree. I am not quite sure what company I will be working with next," Lizzie said, then took a hold of Gigi's hand and pulled her away from the restaurant front, and Darcy. He looked at them like they had some conspiracy to plan and with a little bit of a hurt puppy look.

Lizzie hauled Gigi to the curb where the sun was shining. It felt warm on her face. Sometimes winter suns can be so cruel, shining in what appears to be full glory, but offering no heat, but today was still proving to be a fantastic day.

"You looked cold," Lizzie offered.

"Thanks," Gigi grinned, and glanced over at her brother, "I think William thinks we are up to no-good girl stuff." Darcy still was in front of the restaurant, though no longer leaning casually, but standing stiffly, looking at them.

Lizzie walked back to Darcy and grabbed his hand, which he held stiffly, knitting his eyebrows together as he asked a silent question as to what she was doing.

"We were cold, and wanted to move into the sun," she explained, tugging at his hand. He clasped her hand and let her drag him along, though they might really have let go and walked over on their own accord. They let go of each other's hands only when they reached Gigi.

A few people exited from the restaurant and they looked over to see how things were shaping up, table-wise. Darcy was torn between wanting to be a good host, and seeing how soon they could be seated, and not wanting to leave Lizzie's side. Holding her hand felt like a small victory somehow and he didn't want to concede the territory.

They stood like sunflowers soaking in the sun, without talking for a few minutes. It was neither awkward nor entirely comfortable, either.

"Why Boston?" Lizzie asked finally. Darcy didn't seem to understand the question, so she placed her hand on his arm to get his full attention. Any touch from her immediately sparked his full attention, so he found himself gazing down at those eyes he had compared to a famous painting not a few hours earlier.

"What?"

"Why Boston, why a team on the East Coast? I didn't think you had ever lived back there. Most people I know follow teams because they grow up with them, or because they live near them, so why the Boston Red Sox?" She pressed him.

"The former," was his terse and somewhat archaic reply. She could not read anything on his face.

"What do you mean, the former?" her brow wrinkled.

"I grew up with them, because my Mother liked them. She was from Boston. You would really think that it would be my Father, the guy, who would be the baseball fan, but no, it was my Mother. And Boston fans are life-long fans." Lizzie bowed her head to look at her shoes once he mentioned his mother. She felt sorry she had pursued the subject. She wasn't sure how much he wanted to talk about his parents, especially with his sister there.

But neither Gigi nor Darcy seemed to be effected by his disclosure and Lizzie regained her composure once again.

"I'm glad you have something that you shared with your Mother," Lizzie offered bravely, looking up again, and directly at him. Darcy smiled back at her.

"And I still have it," he smiled wickedly, "and it is probably better than something like a love of green beans in cranberry jello."

Lizzie stared at him for five long second before she realized that William Darcy had cracked a joke, then her chest and sides started shaking with laughter as she snorted in an undignified manner. The three of them laughed heartily until they noticed the waitress from El Charro standing a good arm's distance away to let them know that their table was ready.

It was hard not to over-use "fantastic" but the lunch was fantastic. Gigi ordered a combination plate with tacos, a burrito and enchiladas of various ilk.

Lizzie had never been brave enough to try mole sauce, but at Darcy's encouragement, tried chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. The idea of chicken and chocolate was just not the pairing she had ever considered, wanted to consider or would ever consider except when faced with a gently insistent William Darcy who ordered chicken and mole over rice as his main dish. Perhaps it was the day for new Lizzie, a fledgling new Lizzie to try her wings.

Somehow it worked, this smooth, spicy sauce on her enchiladas was an unexpected treat, and lunch was fantastic.

If Darcy had a timeline for the day, or his plans were not going 'as planned,' he did not seem to be too bothered by how things were going so far. They lingered over lunch and talked about work a bit. That was hard not to do, given that they all 'worked' for the same company. Well, Lizzie did not actually work for Pemberley Digital, but since she was shadowing there for a month, she figured that was close enough to count as 'working there.'

The weather held, despite forecasts of possible late afternoon clouds and rain. Gigi offered up some gloomy tidings, as they walked to the car, about the evening's weather. They piled into the car and Darcy, silent again as to their next stop, merged into traffic.

This time they parked atop a huge parking structure in an area with far taller buildings, and Gigi groaned.

"It is like the Financial District, isn't it William," she glared, "you'll take her to tour some dusty financial records' warehouse or something like that, or some dull museum again."

They made their way down the stairwell of the parking structure and emerged onto a street. He held the door for both women.

"Maybe," he teased, smiling at Gigi.

They walked a short block, turned a corner and followed along the street on a busier street. Lizzie glanced at Darcy who had an amused smile on his face, and she realized he liked having his little secret destinations, and revealing them to both Lizzie and Gigi only when they got to them.

Stopping in front of a door, he opened it and the women paused to look for a sign. There was no big sign out front and just some small print on the door, which happened to be in reverse currently. They had not noticed anything unusual about the building as they passed it by, but then, they weren't sure if the windows they had passed were related to the door they now were entering.

"Welcome to the Cartoon Art Museum," said a tall woman behind a counter as they walked in. To the right they could see an extensive gift shop, and behind the counter was an art gallery of sorts, hung with all sorts of pictures. Gigi wandered over to look at their extensive collection of DVDs for sale, running her index finger over the spines.

Lizzie turned to look at Darcy with her eyebrows raised high to her forehead. He grinned back at her.

"Cartoon art Darcy?" Lizzie felt like sneering at him. The first half of the day had gone so well, but she couldn't possibly see what value cartoons could have. "Like Saturday morning cartoons?"

Perhaps the woman at the desk could tell of Lizzie's discomfiture.

"Are you new to the Cartoon Art Museum?" she asked. "We are a unique institution dedicated to this unique art form, whether it is comic books, graphic novels, magazines, posters, post cards (my specialty)," and she winked to let both Lizzie and Darcy know she was artist herself, "anime, or," and she paused for emphasis, "Saturday morning cartoons."

Lizzie wasn't sure what to think after that list. The old Lizzie probably would have said something crash, both to Darcy and the woman behind the counter, but the new Lizzie thought that she might have to give the venue a try. If Darcy had been spot-on with the morning's destination, perhaps she needed to give this first stop in the afternoon a try.

She pasted a smile on her face. "Can I get the tickets this time?" He nodded.

"Totoro!" Gigi held up a DVD, "I love this guy. How can you not love a man who always carries an umbrella? William, we have to get this disc for our collection."

"Gigi, I wasn't aware that you did not have a purse, nor your own means of purchasing things. Besides, we are going in now, are you coming?" Darcy asked looking at her face, then down at the purse on her shoulder.

"I guess I can get it when we come out," she placed it back on the rack and they walked in.

There were a number of exhibits, one highlighting a local artist, another discussing the 30 year work of a magazine and yet another discussing a special collaborative artwork piece.

After a few minutes, Lizzie, new Lizzie, tackled Darcy about the venue. She kept an even tone to her voice.

"So did you read comic books as kid? I guess I am surprised by this non-touristy stop." She examined the exhibits as they slowly moved around. Unlike the big museum exhibits, these were all hung in essentially one big room, and you could back-track all you wished.

"No, I did not," he replied turning to look at her, trying to catch her eye, "but don't you think that comic books have come a long way since the days of Superman or the Fantastic Four?" He carefully avoided mentioning another superhero and they both went a little pale as they thought of Darvid's enemy.

"How do you know so much about comic books?" she asked, not bothering to look up at him despite feeling his eyes on her. She was looking at the local artist's work and decided she did not care for it, it was not a fine Dutch painting after all. It was just colored pencils, not fine oils.

"You are the student in social media, did you not study any other forms of media in school?" he prodded.

"Are comic books really a relevant topic to study?" she countered.

"I suppose some parents and educators might not think so, but have you considered the graphic novel and its modern form. The juxtaposition of the visual with some excellent story-telling; consider The Sandman or some of the excellent Japanese forms that has been published. I even believe the French have embraced the form. It has become a whole genre within itself." That was enough to get her to look at him. He surprised her yet again.

"Where did that come from?" she blurted out, perhaps a little bit too old Lizzie.

"I am the CEO of a media company; there are all sorts of media. And while I still have a high preference for the written word, there is something to be said about telling a story with both words and pictures. Are not your vlogs something of that sort? There are all sorts of ways to tell a story. Hundreds of years ago we had the book and the oral tradition, but with modern advancements, and printing and social media we have all new ways to tell stories. So is your vlog not part of that continuum? And are there not other, modern ways of story-telling?"

And again she felt herself trying to stop her mouth from opening as it had in that video, episode 60, that awkward video. She had imagined Darcy with this list of places to take her to impress her with his knowledge of the City, and to show off a little. Strut his CEO-stuff. But perhaps there was more to this day with the Darcys; there was more he was trying to say to her?

"I need to sit down," and she turned away. There weren't any benches in the big room and she honestly felt light-headed. A hand on her arm guided her to the back of the room and around the wall where there was a little TV room showing cartoons. She sat on a cushioned bench, the farthest from the screen.

"Are you ok?" That was a loaded line, since it was the opening one to episode 60. She blanched, and he seemed to realize she perhaps needed space and time and stepped a few paces from her and looked away.

Spending the day in self-reflection was _not_ what she had envisioned for the day. Lizzie wondered at how Darcy seemed to continually bring her to this state. That he had thought about how her vlogs fit into a larger piece of mass communication, in a timeline of sorts with the book, and its evolution into different forms. And how did words, spoken words and visual communication fit into the larger space of social media. And was she just thinking too much?

She looked up at him, he was watching the cartoons. But he immediately looked over at her.

"We can go if you aren't enjoying this. I just thought it would be an off-the-beaten-path stop, but one you would enjoy." He rushed his words apologetically.

"No," she answered firmly, "you obviously thought there was something important here for me, given my thesis project and graduate studies. I really appreciate it William." And she used his first name again.

She took a deep breath and watched Betty Boop dancing in her too-short skirt, and then stood up.

Gigi was looking at the 30 year retrospective of the magazine, and somehow Lizzie did not want to join her friend, so she and Darcy walked over to look at the collaborative art project.

The _Sketchtravel_ project had been a four year project where a single notebook had been passed from one artist to another who sketched a single page. The sketchbook had then been sold at auction to raise money for a literacy project. These pages, in reproductions, were all on display.

"Not quite the way I think of social media," she mused as she looked at the sketches. Some, more than others caught her fancy. But they did catch her eye, and Lizzie found herself coming back to look at a particular favorite one or two. Darcy followed along silently, and again gave her the time to emotionally engage with the illustrations as he had in the morning.

Gigi hovered over one of the pictures and then gasped. "Lizzie, you have to come look at this!" She gestured with both hands, "It's Miyazaki!" She squealed.

Lizzie came up beside Gigi to look at the picture of boy and an airplane. It had soft watercolors and pen and a funny sort of plane that didn't quite look like one that could fly.

"Lizzie, this is Miyazaki, he's the guy who did Totoro! He's an animator… I love his work!" Gigi gushed.

"I've never heard of him," Lizzie answered as she looked at Gigi's excited face. Apparently she had missed a whole genre with graphic novels and animation. Had she studied classic literature and social media, but nothing in between?

"I'm going to go get the DVD and loan it to you so you can see what a genius he is. He does remarkable work, his camera angles, and color use, and stories are all so fantastic!" Spinning on the ball of her foot, Gigi marched off to the gift shop swinging her purse.

"Are you ready?" Asked a deep voice behind her. Lizzie turned to smile at her non-touristy tour guide.

"Yes."

"Then let's go," and he nudged his head in the direction of Gigi. He seemed inclined to hold out his hand to her, but thought better of it.

Gigi made her purchase, the tall blond artist at the front desk also ran the gift shop, and then handed the DVD to Lizzie.

"Here, you have to go home and watch it, _tonight_."

"Really Gigi, I can't take it, you just bought it. Don't you want to watch it first?" Lizzie held up her hands in protest.

"No, I _want_ you to see it, especially if you've never see a Miyazaki before." And she placed the DVD in the top of Lizzie's purse. Lizzie smiled her acquiescence.

They made their way out into the sunshine. A few more clouds, wispy ones, were in the sky but their exceptional January weather still held. The walk to the car was dominated by Gigi talking about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli films.


	4. Japantown

Traffic had picked up. It seemed more people drove around San Francisco in the afternoon than in the morning on a Saturday.

Darcy deftly drove through traffic, knowing when to change lanes because one became a turn lane. And knowing the few places you could apparently make a legal left turn.

"I thought I would drive through Union Square on our way to our next destination," he glanced over at Lizzie, trying to ascertain how well both the prospect of seeing that tourist site would strike Lizzie, and how well she was recovering from what was a rougher choice for their post-lunch stop.

"No way William. That thing is ugly," Gigi called from the back seat. Lizzie turned to look at her.

"What _thing_? I didn't know there was anything to look at in Union Square," Lizzie asked. "I thought it was an open park."

"Exactly, it is this big ugly square with a few green patches. I don't see what people make such a fuss about." Gigi stuck her tongue out at Lizzie.

"But it is the cultural center of the City. It's the center of the fashion district and there are so many great restaurants and theaters around it," Darcy argued. "See there's Nieman Marcus, and Macys is down the block," he called out as they drove down Geary and came into sight of the square.

He navigated the car around three sides of the square so Lizzie could see the square itself and all the surrounding businesses. Meanwhile Gigi kept up a tirade against what she felt was Union Square's ugliness. Darcy argued that it had its place as a symbolic icon for San Francisco.

"I take it you are not the shopping or theater type?" Lizzie finally asked Gigi as they left the area behind.

"Not really," Gigi confessed wrinkling her nose.

The drive was short and this time Lizzie had an idea of where they might be going when she saw signs for Japantown on the street as they drove.

They passed a beautiful, symmetrical hotel and pulled into an under-ground parking garage.

"I thought you might want to do some shopping." Darcy looked across the console at Lizzie. "It can't be a day of all high-brow pursuits." He attempted a smile to gauge how she was doing.

"That sounds great. Though I thought your sister just said she wasn't the shopping type?" Lizzie glanced back at Gigi.

"Well I like to eat, and I am sure there are some great nibbles to be had here if I remember this place correctly!" She said eagerly.

They took an elevator up out of the parking garage and ended up in a shopping mall.

"Hey, I remember these stairs, William did you bring me here when I was little?" Gigi exclaimed as they came around a corner from the elevator and saw a large set of curved, red lacquered stairs. "You have to get our picture!" And she hauled Lizzie up the stairs to the middle while Darcy fumbled with his phone to take a picture. Gigi wanted to take a couple of funny poses, but Lizzie was feeling embarrassed and watched while Darcy indulged his little sister as she tried to think of funny ways to pose on stairs: stomping dramatically, pretending to slide down the banister, that kind of thing.

There were a few stores to explore, and even one tiny museum which had a collection of samurai swords on display which they walked through. Even Gigi liked looking at the swords.

"There is more to see," Darcy said, placing his hand on Lizzie's arm. She looked up from the tag she was reading. "And you haven't bought anything yet." His eyes twinkle when he smiles, she thought.

They walked on, and Lizzie discovered that the mall was divided in two, with a large open space in between. She could see an open plaza through some large glass doors and was walking towards them, when a hand jerked her back.

"Oh no you don't! We haven't been to the dollar store yet," that snaky smile was on Gigi's face again. "You have to check out the Daiso store. I remember this place. It is like the dollar store, but everything is $1.50."

The Daiso store had a crowd of people which spoke to its popularity. It had rows of tall shelves and pre-packaged items, everything you might apparently need in your house, and most items apparently for $1.50. Lizzie had fun looking at all the items. Some of them were cheaply made, but others were of better quality, and some even unique, and she thought about coming back to the store if she ever did get around to furnishing her first place away from home.

Gigi found a tablet with some cute characters on it, and a little rack that would apparently fit perfectly on a bathroom shelf. Lizzie found it odd that someone who had more money that she could perhaps imagine, would need or want to shop at a dollar store, then stopped herself from that line of thinking and instead exclaimed over her friend's finds.

In the line to check out, Gigi discovered some boxed Japanese treat and added that to her purchases.

"I'll share it with you Lizzie, you'll love it."

"I thought we would go find something fresher for a snack," offered a voice. They turned to look at Darcy who was standing a few feet away watching them.

They walked out of the store and Lizzie finally got a look at the open area outside. It was a small, intimate plaza with a large five-story structure at one side. There was apparently another shopping area on the other side.

"This is the Peace Plaza." He explained in his best tour guide voice. "And the Pagoda was a gift from the City of Osaka." They walked over and leaned against a railing that lined the edge of the sunken plaza.

A number of groups of people were in the plaza. Some were obviously tourists, cameras in tow as they took pictures of the pagoda. Along the back wall, on a stage, a group of young women seemed to be dressed in costumes and were choreographing a dance of some kind. A man had three little dogs with him, letting them run off-leash.

"Oh my God, they are cos-playing!" Squealed Gigi. And she walked off from Darcy and Lizzie to cross the plaza and approach the women on the little stage of the plaza. She started to talk to them as they continued to choreograph their dance.

"What did she just say?" Asked Lizzie.

"I don't know," answered Darcy as they watched his sister.

"You know, those women sort of look like superheroes in very short skirts," frowned Lizzie.

"Yes," he answered automatically, then seemed to stiffen as if he shouldn't have acknowledged that he was looking at women wearing too-short skirts.

Gigi returned with a big grin, "Yup, they were cos-playing. Doing bits from Tokyo Mew Mew." Lizzie and Darcy looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. "Come on, let keep going!" Gigi headed towards the other shopping mall.

The second shopping area was much larger than the first. Lizzie stumbled on a shop that sold nothing but decorations for the hair and purchased a headband for Jane.

There was a mixture of electronic stores and import stores and jewelry stores. There was even a Hello Kitty store which seemed crass in a way. Gigi insisted that they go in. Darcy refused to go inside on the grounds that too much pink would make him nauseous. Gigi squealed over one thing and then another, and dragged Lizzie over to look at all the little minute cute things to be had for a price.

Lizzie was beginning to get tired of Gigi's enthusiasm and finally called it quits, saying should would wait outside.

Darcy met her with his hands full. Each hand held two bags with a golden brown treat peeking out. He inclined his head over to a little indoor koi pond, and they went and sat next on the edge.

"Here, this is _tai yaki,_ it is a Japanese treat that is filled with either red bean paste, which is traditional," he held up his left hand "or chocolate," and he held up his right. Lizzie reached for his right hand.

"I don't know that I am brave enough to try red bean paste. After all, I tried mole for lunch and I think being brave once today was enough." She peaked at her bag. The _tai yaki_ was shaped like a fish and smelled quite like a waffle. She took a bite and found it exceedingly sweet, sweeter than she had anticipated.

"Do you like it?" Darcy munched on one of the red bean paste _tai yakis_. Lizzie just smiled and nodded her head.

Gigi found them, and insisted on showing them her multitude of little knickknacks that she had scored at the Hello Kitty store.

"Gigi, are you being unusually annoying today?" Darcy rolled his eyes before handing her the remaining chocolate _tai yaki_. Gigi nibbled away at the edges, while she dipped the fingers of her free hand in the water and just smiled her snaky smile.

"I take it you come here often?" Lizzie broke the tension directing her question to Darcy.

"Not that often. I love sushi—there are a couple of great places around here—and there is something intimate and real about Japantown. It is actually contained in quite a small area whereas Chinatown is more spread out."

"I sort of figured with it being so near Chinese New Year that you might take me there." Lizzie finished up her _tai yaki_, looked at her fingers, but resisted the temptation to lick them. Darcy handed her a napkin.

"Well I wanted to share my version of San Francisco. And I guess I fit in Japantown better than I fit in Chinatown."

They continued on their way. There was another snack place that sold elaborate waffle treats with ice cream and Gigi groaned when she saw them; then groaned again when she saw the cupcake store around the corner.

Lizzie found a little jewelry store which seemed to be tucked away almost in a storage closet, and she spent some time looking over some unique pieces; though they all seemed a bit out of her price range. There was a pair of earrings that appeared to be flip flops, but which if they were flip flops seemed out of place with netsuke and other traditional Japanese pieces dangling from necklaces or earrings.

"They are _zoris_," said the woman in the shop. She was seated on a small chair. "You know we invented flip flops, they were based on Japanese sandals called _zoris_."

She could tell, looking at them more closely, that the foot shape was not the traditional curvy foot shape, but more squared off, and that the straps formed a more symmetrical triangle. The earrings were beautiful, and Lizzie made an impulsive decision to purchase them as a gift for Lydia. She wasn't sure when she would see her baby sister again since they had cut off communication, but perhaps when Lizzie's shadowing at Pemberley was over, and she had returned home, they might be talking again.

They continued shopping, and despite her best walking boots, her feet were getting tired. There were toy stores, stationery stores, a lot of different traditional and more Americanized food shops, and a large bookstore.

At first Lizzie looked in the social media section to compare its selection against her set at home, but then found herself perusing the language section.

She found a square little book that fit neatly in her hand: a book on conversational Japanese phrases. She couldn't think of a _need_ for it, so put it back. There were books on San Francisco history, books on Japanese internment during World War II, books on tea ceremonies, but her mind kept wandering back to that little square book.

"What are you buying?" Asked Darcy when he saw her standing in the check-out line. She held it up for him to see.

"Just a souvenir of my day. I don't intend to take up Japanese any time soon. I still need to finish that degree. It's been a lovely, fantastic day." Her eyes lit up with such a delight that Darcy felt himself stagger a bit.

Gigi pounced on them when they left, "you have to come downstairs, all the manga books are downstairs."

"I really think I am done shopping," Lizzie politely tried to beg off.

"Oh Lizzie, I can show you what Tokyo Mew Mew is, and I am sure there is even something for him," and she jabbed a finger at her brother.

"Come on Gigi, we have to go down there anyways to get to the car, but I think Lizzie said she's done." Her brother frowned as he reached out his hand to guide, without touching Lizzie, her in the correct direction. Gigi 'hmphed' and lead the way down a curvy, modern brass and glass staircase.

"Are you ready for dinner?" he offered. "I had this idea that we could gate-crash a company party a friend of mine is having at the Asian Art Museum. Get to have dinner and see the museum after-dark. They'll have docent-lead tours, and…"

"No way! Are you kidding me William? Do you want to bore Lizzie and me to death? I can't believe that's what you thought would be a great evening 'activity'," she used air quotes, "well you're on your own. I'll just take a taxi home." Swinging all her packages, Gigi stormed out a set of doors onto the street. Darcy looked at his sister, then looked at Lizzie who looked at him, then down at the ground in a little embarrassment. He hesitated, not sure if he should leave Lizzie and follow his sister.

Gigi was already down the block on her phone with a taxi service when Darcy caught up to her. Lizzie trailed behind, giving them enough space so she wouldn't be intruding.

"Gigi you can't leave, come and have dinner," he pleaded.

"William it's a done deal, they're on their way. Besides, this way you can go do high-brow things after dinner and not worry about the kid getting in the way. Lizzie—actually I want you and William to go have a great dinner and go somewhere FUN—don't let him take you somewhere dry and boring like a museum." She reached out to hook her arm through Lizzie's. "Maybe you need to go somewhere touristy after all. Or just go somewhere with a view, like the top of Coit Tower or go to Ocean Beach." She reached down to squeeze Lizzie's hand.

"Okay? Promise me you'll get this guy," and she indicated her brother with her head, "to do something fun. Promise." She squeeze Lizzie's hand again.

"Okay, I promise we'll do something fun," Lizzie answered, unsure of making promises to Gigi Darcy.

"Great!" Gigi gathered up her packages which were arranged at her feet. They waited in an uncomfortable silence until a taxi arrived and Gigi hugged Lizzie goodbye, patted Darcy on the arm and took off.

"So, dinner…" he began.

"Yes, dinner, you know I don't think I am dressed for a fancy private dinner at the Asian Art Museum. Perhaps we can find somewhere else?" Lizzie looked down at her walking boots. Darcy looked at her shoes as if taking them in for the first time. They turned to start walking down the street.


	5. Interlude

"Ha!" Gigi called from the back seat of the taxi as she raised her fists in the air. She flipped open her cell phone and hit one of her speed dials. When a voice answered, she called out in a triumphant voice "Operation Bratty Sister has prevailed!"

"Took you long enough," Fitz taunted on the other end.

"They were both way too polite and forgiving. I figured I'd be sent to boarding school after dragging them off to the Cal Academy, but Lizzie apparently liked the Aquarium, though Claude seemed to freak her out a bit. And I couldn't very well throw food at lunch. Honest, I did my best."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Just heading home, my poor feet took a licking. I wore the wrong shoes. Can you believe I went for something that looked good instead of wearing something for all that running around?" She smirked.

"Uh, Gigi, I don't think you want to go home tonight, what if your brother brings home a _guest_?" Fitz whispered the last word.

"_No way_! There is no way William is bringing home a _guest_ tonight. Mr. Awkward Turtle? You should have seen him today; he just followed her around and didn't talk to her. It was almost like stalking. She totally just came today because of me and definitely had these little times when she was a total introvert. They barely talked. No way is he bringing her home tonight."

"Well I may not have been the best wingman, but I still know my man and think that you should come hang out with Roger and me tonight. We'll watch movies, your pick. And maybe I know cures for aching feet. Besides," and he paused for dramatic effect, "I think we should bet on it."

"Standard bet, next one buys dinner?" Gigi asked contemplating the most expensive place she could think of.

"You're on," he answered equally as confident.

"Okay, I'll swing by the house and grab a few things then come by to hang out with my best brother-not-brother!"


	6. Evening

Darcy and Lizzie walked along the street past the Peace Plaza to the car.

"So you don't want to go to the Asian Art Museum event," he continued, "because you're not dressed right." Lizzie stopped walking, feeling her temper rise. Then realized he was perhaps just asking her for confirmation, and after all, she had said she wasn't dressed appropriately. Darcy took a few steps before turning to look at her.

"Actually I don't think I am up for the crowds," she said, "perhaps Gigi is right that another destination, going to see the sights might be nice, something with a view." She started walking again, and he fell into stride next to her.

"So do you want to see Coit Tower? It is a tourist attraction," and he smiled that comfortable smile that she was getting used to seeing today.

"No," she answered unhelpfully.

"Something really touristy like Pier 39?"

"Oh God no!"

They reached the street door to the parking garage and he held the door for her and they walked along the long rows of cars to his. He opened the door for her and waited for her sit down before closing it behind her.

He settled in on his side of the car, but didn't start the engine. His gaze caught hers and she could no longer keep looking through the windshield.

"So where to? Dinner first, or sight-seeing?"

"I want to go to the beach," she finally answered, surprising herself.

He raised an eyebrow and then smiled with his eyes.

"I know the perfect place."

They drove in a comfortable silence. The sun was beginning to set behind those golden California hills, but clouds crowding over the top of them did not bode well for a beach trip. Lizzie was glad that Darcy had insisted on her bringing some layers of clothing. Her feet appreciated the rest in the car as they drove towards the setting sun.

"A little secret, this place always has parking." He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. Reaching into the back seat he handed Lizzie her jacket. "You'll need this."

It was windier here at the restaurant. It whipped her hair around and she pulled her jacket on quickly wishing she had done it in the car.

"Let's go put our names down for dinner, than we can go walk to the beach."

"Where are we?"

"The Beach Chalet. Fabulous food, but the view is why you come." The building was older and not the high-end CEO hang-out Lizzie was expecting after he mentioned gate-crashing the Asian Art Museum. It was a simple two-story adobe building with a lot of windows. They walked up the steps to the main entrance, then up another stairwell to the second floor and gave their names to a hostess. She said that there was only a short wait.

"Do mind eating now, or should we make a reservation for later?"

Lizzie looked over the restaurant. It was actually small, given how large the building seemed on the outside, but the view, as Darcy said, was fabulous. There was no spot that was more than three or four tables away from the windows that spanned the entire Western wall of the building.

"Let's eat."

The menu took some time for Lizzie to peruse. Darcy knew he wanted the sea bass, so it gave him time to surreptitious watch her as she scanned each item, frowning as she read the ingredients and weighed her options.

"The chicken looks good, but it has winter squash hash," she smiled wickedly. "I think I dealt with enough squash at Collins & Collins." They laughed together, their eyes meeting.

They ordered. Darcy ordered a bottle of wine and Lizzie was sure it was expensive. It certainly tasted wonderful and she was no connoisseur.

They ended up talking about work, as they had at lunch.

"I hope you have enjoyed your time at Pemberley," he sipped his wine.

"I have, it has been a wonderful experience. I can't even begin to think that my next stop will hold a candle to it." His face fell. He took another sip of wine.

"I'd forgotten that you leave at the end of the week. Do you already have another company lined up to work with?"

"Yes, Dr. Gardiner has my last company in Los Angeles all set up for me. I am going to go stay with Jane and I should be able to finish my shadowing there by the end of February, write my thesis in March and then finish graduate school." Lizzie's face was a mask as she finished.

"And what are you going to do after graduation?"

"Isn't that the $64,000 question that everyone keeps asking me? It seems Charlotte and my Mother and my Father and Jane keep asking me." Lizzie evaded. "Leave home, find work, rent an apartment, furnish it, that sort of thing. Tear the next page out of the playbook, move on, turn over a new leaf, make my way in the world—you choose your favorite analogy!" She turned away, feeling tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Lizzie," he reached across the table and gently stroked the hand that was clutching at her wine glass. "I didn't want to make you sad. I wanted to know." He pulled her whole hand into his and held it between his two.

It would be so easy to offer her a job, but that would just make her more skittish. So he just held her hand and stroked it while she stared down at her lap and tried to figure out why her heart was beating so quickly and trying to blame it on three sips of very expensive red wine.

Their waitress brought their entrees, and he released her hand. Lizzie tackled her filet with an enthusiasm she forced. She hadn't been all that hungry which is why she had suggested the beach visit first. But to look up at Darcy right now would be impossible. Her mind tried sorting through all the emotions it had felt during the day, but all she could really concentrate on was the pleasant sensation of his hands stroking hers.

The sun slowly set and they moved from work to the weather which stayed a safer topic. Darcy had been correct, the view from the second floor of The Beach Chalet was fabulous and they watched as the daylight faded and the clouds rolled in suggesting that rain was not too far behind.

She declined the offer of desert, but they did manage to linger and finish the wine. It was getting easier to look at him over the top of her wine glass. Handsome, she had always said he was handsome. She mentioned that early on in her videos. And he had said, episode 60—she had him on tape—that he was in love with her. But then she stopped herself and looked down again. He couldn't still love her, could he?

She looked up over the top of her glass again at him. His empty one was in front of him and he was twirling it between his fingers, but he was looking at her with that same look that had always been there. The one that she had mocked in her videos.

Lizzie put her wine glass down.

"Shall we hit the beach while the weather holds?" Lizzie inclined her head outside.

"Let's do it," he held her chair for her.

They retraced their steps, down the stairs, past the car, and walked back out to the road. It was a two-lane divided highway, The Great Highway, that separated the restaurant from the beach.

"We'll have to run for it," and held out his hand. She took it and they sprinted across one lane to the center divider, waited for the traffic to clear the other way, and then sprinted across. Her walking boots were better suited to this than visits to the Asian Art Museum, however wonderful that would have been.

They seemed to have forgotten to let go of their hands, and fingers entwined; they walked across a little parking area and then down onto the beach. Being on the beach at night was different and Lizzie wasn't ever able to recall a time that she had been to a beach at night. There was enough light from the street lights that they could see the waves crashing on the shores.

They crunched through the uneven sand, helping each other to keep balanced until they reached the edge of the wet surf.

"It is really the Pacific, and then it stretches on forever until it reaches Japan," mused Lizzie who felt compelled to say something pithy.

"Yes Lizzie," and he tentatively pulled her closer, "but it's not like you haven't see it before."

"No William, you're right," and she looked up at him. "I have seen the Pacific Ocean before," and then they were wrapped in an embrace, their lips first testing the sweetness of each other before becoming more heated. It was a long kiss.

She pulled back and just leaned in to hold him and he crushed her against his chest. Lizzie wasn't sure if she was hearing the sounds of the surf or the sounds of his heart beating. She could feel what felt like the spray of the waves on her exposed cheek.

"I think it's raining," she heard his words in his chest. Lizzie didn't want to let go of him. This moment seemed so incredible that to change it meant to change her reality. One hand loosed its hold on her and fumbled in his jacket pocket to produce a small umbrella which he shook, pushed a button and persuaded to open. He dutifully held it over them while still keeping a firm grip on her with his other arm.

"Mr. Totoro always carries an umbrella. Or so your sister claims," Lizzie talked into his chest without letting go. "She said you have to love a man who always carries an umbrella."

Lizzie leaned back to look up at Darcy.

"I was thinking maybe I should go home and watch the DVD your sister loaned me." Darcy kept a firm grip around Lizzie. "Maybe try to figure out who this Totoro guy is and why he carries an umbrella."

Darcy looked at her.

"Perhaps you would like to come over and watch him with me?"

Darcy kissed her again.

After shaking off their coats and settling in the car, Lizzie realized that she was house-sitting and wasn't sure if the house had the appropriate equipment for Totoro-viewing.

"Do you want to come over to my house to watch it then?" He asked, very, very tentatively. Lizzie nodded, the wipers flipped a sheet of water off the windshield and they started off.


End file.
